Grant E. Mitchell
Senior Counsel

Buckley Kolar LLP
1250 24th Street, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 349.8047
(202) 349-8080 (fax)

Practice

Grant Mitchell is Senior Counsel at Buckley Kolar LLP and specializes in RESPA issues.

Professional Experience

Mr. Mitchell was formerly with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, DC, where he was the most experienced lawyer and regulator working with the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).

As the Senior Attorney for RESPA, Mr. Mitchell has interpreted this statute for a variety of Presidential administrations, HUD Secretaries and HUD General Counsel. He has written numerous RESPA regulations, statements of policy, and interpretive letters. His analysis has impacted every segment of the residential mortgage industry.

In addition, Mr. Mitchell has testified before Congress with the General Counsel of HUD and has spoken frequently at conferences sponsored by major industry trade organizations and by federal bank regulators including FDIC, OTS, OCC, and the Federal Reserve Board. He has also addressed state regulators and private mortgage finance conferences. 

At HUD, Mr. Mitchell was also the longtime Assistant General Counsel for the federal New Communities program, which assisted large-scale residential and commercial land developments throughout the United States with Wall Street placements guaranteed by the Government, and with other aid. He is consulted on a broad variety of real estate issues, as well as HUD programs, including those of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).  Mr. Mitchell left HUD in April 1999.

Since leaving HUD, Mr. Mitchell was employed by the Washington offices of Reed Smith, LLP and, in 2003, Lotstein Buckman, LLP.  He joined Buckley Kolar LLP on October 22, 2007. Since entering private practice, Mr. Mitchell has spoken at more than 100 functions, including trade association meetings, state bar functions, private lending conferences and client seminars. In addition, he has been engaged as an expert witness in eighteen cases.

Publications include articles on RESPA history and development in the May 5, 1999 Standard & Poors Review of Banking and Financial Services and in the November 1999 edition of Mortgage Banking magazine. A March 2000 article regarding online lending was published in Mortgage Banking magazine. Other publications are in Practical Real Estate Lawyer and the Consumer Finance Law’s Quarterly Report. In May 2002 Mortgage Banking magazine published an article on “Bundling” and RESPA. A Viewpoint article was published in the August 18, 2003 edition of American Banker. The October 2003 Origination News contains Mr. Mitchell’s commentary on RESPA reform. He was co-editor of A.S. Pratt’s Mortgage Compliance Letter for a two year period.He was also featured on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal in a live half-hour interview on mortgage lending on July 23, 2003.

Bar Admissions

Mr. Mitchell is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland State Bars. He is also admitted to practice in front of the United States Supreme Court.

Education

B.S., State University of New York
M.A., University of Florida
J.D., Tulane
Post-law-school study in real estate and real estate finance, University of Southern California